Cummings Study Guide

......."Lenore" is a poem first published in 1831 as "A Paean." Poe revised and published the poem under the title "Lenore" in 1843 and 1845. The poem appeared again in a collection of Poe's works published in 1850, after his death. The poem analyzed on this page is the revised version. It is this version that appears in most anthologies and other books available today. Which version is better, the original or the revised, is debatable.

Summary

.......Upon the death of a beautiful young woman named Lenore, a mourner (Stanza 1) praises her as "saintly" and reproaches her fiancé, Guy de Vere, for not shedding tears. The mourner then suggests that the funeral begin and that everyone sing a song of lamentation for Lenore. De Vere (in Stanza 2) then accuses the mourner and his friends of hypocrisy, saying they loved only Lenore's wealth. He also says they slandered her. In Stanza 3, the mourner, acknowledging that he and his friends have faults, tells de Vere not to "rave" and renews his call for a solemn song. De Vere, he says, is angry because Lenore died before he could marry her. De Vere then says he will not mourn for Lenore but instead rejoice that her soul rose to heaven, to a golden throne reserved for her next to God Himself.

Themes

Undying Love

.......Guy de Vere continues to love Lenore even after she has died. His vigorous defense of her reputation and his concern for her well-being in the afterlife testify to the depth of his love.

Hypocrisy

.......Mourners shed false tears for Lenore, perhaps because they expect to receive bequests from her estate. This interpretation of the attitude of the mourners depends on the reliability of Guy de Vere's testimony against them.

The Tragedy of Early Death

.......Literature swells with poetry and prose about people who die young. For example, works by Sophocles (Antigone), Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet), Turgenev (Fathers and Sons), and Housman (To an Athlete Dying Young) all focus on characters who die in their teens or twenties. Poe turned early death—in particular, the early death of young women—into a cottage industry in such works as Annabel Lee, Eulalie, The Fall of the House of Usher, Ligeia, The Raven, To Helen, and Ulalume.

Lenore: A Favorite Poe Name

.......Poe apparently liked the name Lenore. He made it the main character of three of his poems: "Al Aaraaf," "Lenore," and "The Raven." Lenore is a variation of Eleanor, Eleanora, Helen, Leonora, Lenora, and Lenonore.

Internal Rhyme and End Rhyme

.......Poe uses internal rhyme, as well as end rhyme, in "Lenore." Note, for example, the internal rhymes (highlighted in blue) and the end rhymes (of final syllables only, highlighted in red) in the following lines:

.......Alliteration plays an important role in "Lenore," as in other poems of Poe, in that it helps to maintain rhythm and musicality. Note, for example, the alliterating words (highlighted) in Stanza 1:

.......Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston. After being orphaned at age two, he was taken into the home of a childless couple—John Allan, a successful businessman in Richmond, Va., and his wife. Allan was believed to be Poe’s godfather. At age six, Poe went to England with the Allans and was enrolled in schools there. After he returned with the Allans to the U.S. in 1820, he studied at private schools, then attended the University of Virginia and the U.S. Military Academy, but did not complete studies at either school.
.......After beginning his literary career as a poet and prose writer, he married his young cousin, Virginia Clemm. He worked for several magazines and joined the staff of the New York Mirror newspaper in 1844. All the while, he was battling a drinking problem. After the Mirror published his poem “The Raven” in January 1845, Poe achieved national and international fame.
.......Besides pioneering the development of the short story, Poe invented the format for the detective story as we know it today. He also was an outstanding literary critic. Despite the acclaim he received, he was never really happy because of his drinking and because of the deaths of several people close to him, including his wife in 1847. He frequently had trouble paying his debts. It is believed that heavy drinking was a contributing cause of his death in Baltimore on October 7, 1849.

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How shall the burial rite be read?
The solemn song be sung ?
The requiem for the loveliest dead,
That ever died so young?

II.

Her friends are gazing on her,
And on her gaudy bier,
And weep ! — oh! to dishonor
Dead beauty with a tear!

III.

They loved her for her wealth —
And they hated her for her pride —
But she grew in feeble health,
And they love her — that she died.

IV.

They tell me (while they speak
Of her "costly broider'd pall")
That my voice is growing weak —
That I should not sing at all —

V.

Or that my tone should be
Tun'd to such solemn song
So mournfully — so mournfully,
That the dead may feel no wrong.

VI.

But she is gone above,
With young Hope at her side,
And I am drunk with love
Of the dead, who is my bride. —

VII.

Of the dead — dead who lies
All perfum'd there,
With the death upon her eyes,
And the life upon her hair.

VIII.

Thus on the coffin loud and long
I strike — the murmur sent
Through the grey chambers to my song,
Shall be the accompaniment.

IX.

Thou died'st in thy life's June —
But thou did'st not die too fair:
Thou did'st not die too soon,
Nor with too calm an air.

X.

From more than fiends on earth,
Thy life and love are riven,
To join the untainted mirth
Of more than thrones in heaven —

XII.

Therefore, to thee this night
I will no requiem raise,
But waft thee on thy flight,
With a Pæan of old days.
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DVD
Murders in the Rue Morgue, Black Cat, Other Tales

Book
Complete Stories and Poems

DVD
Cask of Amontillado, Tell-Tale Heart